Effectively marketing your business is often the key to its success – no matter how good your products are or expert your service is, if customers don’t know about you, then you are unlikely to make money. However, the field of marketing is a big one and can understandably appear overly complicated, especially if you are reluctant to draw yourself away from the actual operative tasks of your business. To help you devise a successful and time-efficient marketing plan, here is how you can grow your business with the help of the following nine marketing strategies.
Connecting with consumers on social media
Having a strong social media presence is key to successfully marketing your business, but don’t simply use your platform to post content. Many customers are drawn to the ‘social’ element of social media, staying loyal to approachable grassroots brands rather than faceless corporations. Take advantage of this by conversing directly with customers on social media, such as through Twitter conversations, Instagram live streams, and answering questions posed on blog content. This demonstrates to customers that, rather than seeing them as merely potential paycheques, you are invested in building a community and ensuring that your customers are an active part of your business by regularly checking in with them for feedback and other comments.
Revamp your website
Your website is a key element when marketing your business online – potential customers are directed to its pages from social media posts and advertising for more information on your business, products, and services. However, all too often, your website can become neglected, containing broken links, outdated information, and an overall amateurish appearance that is difficult to navigate. If customers struggle to navigate your website and can’t find the information they are looking for, they will turn instead to one of the myriad other websites available. Dedicate the time to revamping your website, turning it into an attractive location for customers with up-to-date and relevant information, attractive graphics and photographs, and easy-to-use navigation. Hire a web designer for peace of mind that you will receive a professional website if you lack the development skills yourself.
Consider niche marketing options
Most marketing strategies can be successfully applied to any business – whether you run a health food shop or a dental practice, you will see the benefits of a well-designed website and conversing with your customer base on social media, for example. However, it is also worthwhile consider niche marketing options that work for your industry specifically. To take the examples above, dental marketing is the key to your success if you own a dental practice. This includes strategies such as posting patient testimonials and before and after photographs to perfectly illustrate the success of your treatments to potential customers. Or, if you own a health food shop, you could give away free samples of some of your products, along with a discount code for the full-sized item.
Online advertising
Advertising has been an important part of successful marketing campaigns long before the advent of internet marketing. Advertising your business online is a great way of increasing your visibility to a huge number of potential customers from all over the world. It is available at a number of price points, meaning that every business can take advantage of online advertising, no matter how small their marketing budget. The cost of Google Ads, for instance, varies depending on the advertising competition in your area and how specific your targeted keywords are. So, when deciding on a budget for Google Ads, consider the total cost-per-click in your area, and consider carefully the keywords that you will use. Another online advertising option is to advertise on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. With a large portion of society holding more than one social media account, this is an ideal opportunity to get your brand seen by as many people as possible.
Maximize your new content
Content is king when it comes to online marketing. It is not simply a case of scheduling several sales posts a day on social media: these can become spammy, and customers are quickly turned off by hard sales techniques. Instead, seek to produce value-rich content that customers are happy to see appear in their feed. For instance, a beautifully shot Instagram photoshoot of your new products will provide customers with much needed eye candy while also perfectly displaying your products. Or, you could seek to spark a conversation and educate your customers by producing interesting and informative blog posts discussing key issues experienced in your business and industry. Make sure that you post fresh content on a regular basis and link all new social media posts to your newly revamped website to drive traffic and boost your site’s SEO rankings.
Update your old content
Producing new and interesting content on a regular basis is not the only way that you can maximize your content – don’t forget that you have an archive of past material sitting on your blog and social media profiles, just waiting to be made fresh use of. Using Google Analytics, identify posts that haven’t been viewed in 18 months or longer, then further assess your list to decide which posts were short-lived and which have a potential evergreen appeal and are worth being updated. For instance, it might be a post the perfectly breaks down and explains a particular issue in your field or provides an interesting behind the scenes insight into your business practices. Then, reshare your updated content on your social media platforms to get fresh views. You will see that you can get great customer engagement results by updating and revisiting old content.
These are just a few of the marketing strategies that you could employ to help grow your business. With a little bit of time and marketing know-how, you will soon be reaping the rewards of a successful marketing plan and see an uptake of fresh customers viewing your website.
